Couple weeks ago, I got swept by a heavy weight and landed hard. On top of that when he took side control he put his weight on me. I felt 3 little pops on the back of my ribs and while I was trying to escape, I had to tap with the pain I felt. I instantly reacted by putting my hands on my side trying to massage it to make it feel better, but it hurt even more. My partner immediately apologized and asked if I was ok. I really should’ve stopped but with the adrenaline running through me and my high tolerance for pain, I decided to continue to roll. Again, he asked are you sure? I said let's just go. Fist Bumped and continued.
When the round ended, I noticed the pain didn’t go away and took so much of my attention. My partner apologized and I said, this is what I signed up for. This is the hurt game and I’ve accepted the fact that injuries will happen. After my last injury, I learned my lesson of allowing myself to heal a bit before going back into it. When I got hurt that time, I rolled the next day, but it wasn’t as big as this current one. I told the guys I’m out for the rest of the session. I’ve developed this relationship with JiuJitsu that it’s a lifelong practice so it was ok to stop.
I knew I was injured cuz of the pops that I felt and would give myself a week to heal up. It sucked knowing that I will be missing some classes but again, marathon. However, I remember when I was listening to the Joe Rogan Podcast w/ Gordon Ryan. I recalled him saying that he always shows up to the gym no matter what. When he was injured or sick he would always be there if he could. With that quote, “success leaves clues” I took it upon myself to just show up to class no matter what too.
Did just that. I showed up at every Gi (fully suited) & No Gi class and gave it my full attention as if I was physically practicing. I was present every second in class. I was on the mats sitting next to the guys. I would watch them practice and I would pretend I was doing it too. I would give tips from a different view and help my guys out to help better their position. From this perspective, I started to see things in such a contrasting way. How just small little movements and angles can make a huge difference while in action. Seeing the puzzle like it was backwards.
I just couldn’t wait to get back on the mats and train physically with this new found knowledge. It was about a week of not training and I was definitely healing up. I was at about 3/10 where 10 is the most painful. I gave it a shot to roll that class. I’d just work on technique and would not spar. Everyone was cool with it and my partner was aware of the situation. As I was practicing some technique, I did feel some discomfort, but took that as is. I participated until it was time to roll. I stepped out but stayed so that I could watch and learn from the new view. After class I noticed that the pain went up to a 4.
When I got home, I had something to eat and the pain continued to stay at 4. After doing a few tasks I felt the urge to sneeze. If you know me, I have what you call the Filipino Dad Sneeze. In a flash I felt this sharp pain at that same spot that shot back up to 10! I fell to the ground in pain holding my side. Instead of panicking, I instinctively remained calm while laying on the ground. The first time I started training in Jits, I was put in a situation where I'd just tap due to panicking. But remaining loyal to the art has taught me how to stay calm in the most messed up situations. I also practice meditation, this also helped me with dealing with this pain. I controlled my breathing and kept it in a rhythm while doing my best to let go of the pain. It was working, the longer I could breath in and out (something I learned doing a Cold Therapy Workshop) the pain was subsiding.
Meanwhile, my GF was cooking and prepping her food for the week. I was giving it some time and when it was time to, I managed to start to move and get up. Just as I was getting on my knees, my GF walks in and shockingly asks if I was ok? I told her I think I just re-injured my ribs from sneezing. She then said why I didn’t call her and I said I couldn’t cuz I was focused on that pain. After a pause, we both kinda laughed at the situation. Just before heading to bed, the pain was at around 7. I used a breathing technique called Box Breathing to help deal with the pain and fell asleep.
I woke up and I knew that I couldn’t train for about another week. However, it was just another rinse and repeat but in a positive way. I showed up class after class and stayed present at all times. Engaged in the mix and learning mentally. It totally sucked when we had a class on takedowns. I really wanted to try, but I couldn’t move due to the injury. Kept my ego in check and was grateful for the opportunity to learn from this perspective. It also inspired me to create videos not only for the school but mainly for martial arts as a whole.
It was time to really assess my injury with realistic audits. Re-injuring it will hold off physical practice even further. Didn’t want that. After a realistic approach to the assessment I felt that I could roll again and apply those techniques in action. Definitely was a bit nervous just before the bell rang to get started and when it rant, I just started. When getting into it, there was no pain occurring and took a more precise approach to my techniques. Just to really slow it down, and set things so that at the precise moment you can attack.
Being more educated with healing and knowing the ego, I’m slowly working my way back up to 100%. The last few sparring sessions, I felt great and didn't feel as rusty as I thought I would've been. If anything, it was my cardio that was lacking, but for the most part, my movement, positioning, & technique have been up to par. Felt like I never missed a Physical class. For now I’m taking things 1 roll at a time.
It’s crazy how you build a relationship with this art. It will put you in kinds of agony but also teaches you how to remain calm in high stress situations. I love Jiu Jitsu.
Mindset Insights to be aware of.
The Power of Visualization.
By just showing up you get to go over the exercises in your own mind. Mental rehearsal is as effective for getting better as physical practice. Imagine when combined together. A great way to practice your memory too.
The Mental Faculty of Perception.
By just showing up, you get to see things in a different view and in a way you feel you can teach it. When you teach it, you learn it even better. The more ways you can look at things, the faster you can apply it.
Habit of Consistency.
By just showing up, you’ll never really feel you missed a beat. You continue with the momentum when things get better and you’ll start even faster when you get back into it. That how you stay with your results.
The Importance of Discipline.
By just showing up, you’ll build your discipline day by day. You know you don’t really need to be there, but you choose to stay no matter what. Mental toughness is developed through this process. Discipline is the path to personal greatness.
Comment Below on your experiences of when you just showed up. Can’t wait to read your mindset insights!
-JedRocks